From ny000570@mail.nyser.net Thu Nov 11 15:01:52 1993
AIDS Daily Summary
November 10, 1993
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS
Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public
service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement
by the CDC, the CDC Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction
of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC
Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information.
Copyright 1993, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD
"Blood Tests Urged for GIs in Germany"
Washington Post (11/10/93) P. A29 (Vogel, Steve)
In response to widening panic caused by Germany's snowballing
HIV-screening scandal, U.S. military officials in the country are
now recommending that all American soldiers and members of their
families who have received blood transfusions from German
hospitals in the past 15 years seek AIDS testing. Officials said
it is likely that hundreds of American service members received
transfusions, although they believe the actual number put at risk
is probably minimal. "We do not want to minimize the risk of
infection," said Maj. Gen. Vernon Chong, European command
surgeon. The U.S. military in Germany has its own blood
collection and processing services, which are licensed by the
Food and Drug Administration and certified by the American
Association of Blood Banks. Sometimes, however, Americans are
referred to German hospitals for medical treatment. The military
has requested that its blood banks review records as far back as
1985 to determine if any plasma was purchased from UB Plasma, the
Koblenz-based firm at the center of the HIV scandal and, if so,
for what purposes.
"H.I.V. Found in Blood Seized in Germany"
New York Times (11/10/93) P. A7
German investigators have confirmed the presence of HIV infection
in two batches of blood seized from UB Plasma, the firm around
which the country's negligent screening scandal is revolving.
Prosecutor Norbert Weise said scientists had checked only 2,000
of 25,000 confiscated batches of blood when they discovered the
two cases of infection. UB Plasma is suspected of, for more than
a decade, failing to properly screen blood products, which were
supplied to more than 80 hospitals. This revelation unleashed
widespread concern among millions of people in Germany, who fear
they may have been infected with the AIDS virus during routine
operations. German health officials and the German Red Cross
have urged residents not to worry. They insist that the
proportion of blood products processed by UB Plasma is small, and
the probability of anyone being infected is tiny.
"Second German Company in AIDS Scare"
Financial Times (Great Britain) (11/10/93) P. 2 (Genillard,
Ariane)
As Germany's largest medical scandal continues to mushroom, a
second German company has been implicated. Blood products from
Haemoplas, in Lower Saxony, have been recalled from 64 hospitals
under suspicions that they were not regularly tested and may be
tainted with the AIDS virus. All hospitals and medical centers
in the country using the products have been ordered to return
them to local authorities. Meanwhile, investigations of the
first blood products firm to be implicated, UB Plasma, yielded
confirmation of two instances of HIV infection in blood samples
seized from that company. The scare has prompted tens of
thousands of concerned Germans to swamp hospitals and medical
centers with calls asking advice or seeking AIDS testing.
"Many Fear Mouth-To-Mouth Resuscitation, Survey Finds"
United Press International (11/09/93)
Atlanta--According to a University of Arizona survey, many people
are refusing to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
due to an unwarranted fear that they could contract a disease.
The study found that 45 percent of the 975 respondents would not
perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation because they would not want
to breathe into another person's mouth. Seven percent of the
sample recalled being in a situation where CPR was needed, but
admitted that they failed to act. "It's a fear without any
substantial basis and it is very tragic, if not disappointing,
that such a fear has evolved, because I believe numerous lives
are being lost because of it," said Dr. Nisha Chandra of Francis
Scott Key Medical Center in Baltimore, Md. Chandra said that
although "AIDS has been out there for 10-plus years, and we have
been actively resuscitating thousands and thousands of patients
during this time period," no case of CPR-related HIV transmission
has ever been documented.
"Fund-Raiser Will Pay $3,000 Under Agreement With Attorney
General"
PR Newswire (11/09/93)
Harrisburg, Pa.--The operators of a Philadelphia business have
agreed to pay $3,000 to settle allegations that they violated the
state's Charities Act while raising money purportedly to be
donated for AIDS research. According to Attorney General Ernie
Preate Jr., the agreement prohibits Jerrald B. Silverman and
Stanley Snyder, the operators of Lectra Products Co., from
conducting fund-raising activities in Pennsylvania for the next
decade. Lectra apparently placed canisters in thousands of
stores last summer, supposedly to solicit money to benefit the
American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR). The agreement,
"an assurance of voluntary compliance," contends that the
business violated the Charities Act by failing to register with
the Department of State before soliciting funds, failing to
obtain required contractual permission from AmFAR, and neglecting
to submit to the state a written contract with AmFAR. Silverman
and Snyder did not admit to wrongdoing, but agreed to pay $500 in
penalties and fines and $500 in investigation costs to the state,
as well as $2,000 to be distributed by the office of the Attorney
General to a charity "whose stated charitable purpose is
consistent with the representations made to contributors."
Investigators, although uncertain of the exact amount of money
raised by Lectra, believes that funds solicited were less than
$2,000.
"Disease Detection International, Inc., Signs Exclusive
Distribution Agreement for Seven-Minute AIDS Test for Argentina"
PR Newswire (11/09/93)
Irvine, Calif.--Disease Detection International, Inc. (DDI) of
California has signed a three-year deal with Miami's
Bio-Diagnostica, Inc. for the exclusive sale and distribution of
the company's SeroCard HIV tests in Argentina. DDI's CEO, H.
Thad Morris, expressed his confidence in Bio-Diagnostica as an
"experienced marketer of numerous medical products and
equipment," and projected that his company expects to ship more
than 1,500,000 tests for sale in Argentina. DDI has already
received 40,000 of the tests, and plans to begin shipments in
1994. Tony Blanco, DDI's director of distribution for South
America, commented that "the use of the SeroCard HIV-1 test is
ideal in medical settings where the availability of sophisticated
instrumentation and trained personnel is limited." The rapid,
whole blood test has a seven-minute format that requires no
instrumentation to obtain an accurate test result, and has proven
to be 99 percent accurate. The device is smaller than a credit
card, which allows for significant savings in the screenings of
individuals by using a single drop of blood from a finger prick,
as opposed to more complex and expensive procedures.
"Symposium on Clinical Care of the AIDS Patient to Be Hosted by
UC San Francisco"
Business Wire (11/09/93)
San Francisco--The University of California at San Francisco will
host a three-day symposium, Dec. 13-15, for practicing doctors on
the clinical care of AIDS patients. The conference will focus on
practical issues in managing care for all stages of HIV disease.
Topics to be addressed include guidelines and initial workup for
the patient, neurological complications due to HIV, bacterial
infections, antiretroviral therapy, gender-specific issues,
terminally ill patients, and pediatric AIDS. The symposium will
also include workshops on health care worker exposures and
infections, HIV nursing, and HIV education and prevention, among
others. The program will be led by UCSF faculty who are leaders
in research and patient care, and their colleagues from around
the globe. It is designed for practicing physicians, internists,
infectious disease specialists, and other primary care
physicians.
"So as Not to Forget Those Lost to AIDS"
Philadelphia Inquirer (11/08/93) P. B3 (Yaskin, Joesph)
A statue of two men arm-in-arm stands upon a wooden base with
rows of brass nameplates mounted upon it--Bill Cole's backyard
memorial to the friends and acquaintances who have been lost to
AIDS. Although the memorial is tucked away behind his house,
Cole, a retired math teacher, has brought the disease to the
forefront of his former profession. Cole first got involved in
AIDS education in 1987 when he discovered that he had HIV. When
his companion of more than a decade died of AIDS in 1989, Cole
made the work his life mission and, in 1991, retired from
teaching to dedicate himself on a full-time basis. His message
to teachers--and everyone else--is simple and clear. "We all
need to talk honestly about AIDS, including in the classroom," he
says. "Then we can replace the stigma with compassion." Cole
also urges teachers to do whatever is possible to help students
achieve self-esteem, because "peer pressure is a very powerful
force, and a sense of self-esteem makes a kid less likely to give
in to dangerous behavior." For his work in educating other
teachers about AIDS at schools and conferences in South Jersey
and elsewhere, Cole was last year presented one of 14 national
"Pathfinder" awards, an honor bestowed by a consortium of
national organizations led by Congress and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
"When AIDS Strikes Parents"
Time (11/01/93) Vol. 142, No. 18, P. 76 (Gorman, Christine)
The problem of children who have lost one or both parents to the
AIDS virus is becoming all too common in the United States.
Statistics indicate that some 30,000 youngsters have seen their
mothers or fathers, or both, die in the epidemic. By the year
2000, that figure is expected to at least triple. Because the
majority of AIDS mothers are single parents, there often is no
father to fill the void following the mother's death. Many women
will move from large cities back to their hometowns, where
relatives can take in the children. Often, however, stigma
associated with AIDS may prevent families from caring for these
kids, leaving perhaps half of all AIDS orphans either on the
streets or in the overflowing foster care system. While the
death of a parent is always traumatic, the pain is even more
profound when the cause of death is AIDS. These kids feel
isolated in their shame, and with no outlet for the rage and
grief, they often get into trouble at school, or with the law.
Teens often engage in casual sex and intravenous drugs, in
defiance of the virus. In response, many community organizations
are trying to avoid future tragedy by initiating support groups
for children who are orphaned, or soon-to-be orphaned because of
AIDS, and social and health agencies are attempting to reach more
parents with AIDS before they die so that their children can be
better prepared.
"AIDS Deaths Shift From Hospitals to Home"
American Journal of Public Health (10/93) Vol. 83, No. 10, P.
1433 (Kelly, Janet J. et al.)
As part of the AIDS Mortality Project initiated by the Centers
for Disease Control in 1989, researchers monitored trends in
place of death of AIDS patients as measures of health care usage
and terminal health care of HIV-infected persons. Sixteen health
departments gathered death certificates for some 55,186
individuals with AIDS who died throughout 1991. Place of death
was categorized as hospital, home, hospice or nursing facility,
or other. Analysis of the data showed that the number of AIDS
deaths in hospitals dropped significantly from 92 percent in 1983
to 57 percent in 1991. Hospital deaths were more frequent--91
percent--in the Northeast region of the country, while deaths at
home were more common--27 percent--in the West. The study
concluded that AIDS deaths at home or in hospices have increased
since 1983, and that these trends may reflect changes in hospital
use for the final stages of AIDS disease. Decreasing
hospitalization, while increasing outpatient services and home
care, will lower costs and may allow HIV-infected individuals an
improved social support system.
"News Wire: California"
Advocate (11/02/93) No. 641, P. 20
The California AIDS office spends too much money on AIDS
education efforts targeting heterosexuals, and not enough money
on campaigns aimed at homosexual men, said a study released Sept.
18 by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco.
"Brief Report: Fatal Seronegative Ehrlichiosis in a Patient With
HIV Infection"
New England Journal of Medicine (10/14/93) Vol. 329, No. 16, P.
1164 (Paddock, Christopher D. et al.)
Paddock et al. reported an HIV-positive woman with a fatal case
of ehrlichial infection. Ehrlichia chaffeensis is a bacterium
that causes febrile illness associated with cytopenia. It was
only recently identified in the Western Hemisphere in 1986 and,
although about 300 cases have been reported, none have been
diagnosed in persons with HIV. The significance of this case,
say Paddock et al., is that the initial manifestations of
ehrlichial infection copied the clinical characteristics of other
opportunistic infections more common to AIDS patients. The
41-year-old woman displayed symptoms consistent with a diagnosis
of pneumocystis cariini pneumonia, and with pancytopenia
associated with zidovudine treatment. When treatments for these
infections were unsuccessful, further investigations focused on
types of fungal, bacterial, and viral organisms that often affect
AIDS patients. Although E. chaffeensis is treatable with
tetracycline and was eventually detected, it was not done soon
enough to alter treatment, and the patient died. Intact T cell
function is an important host defense against diseases like E.
chaffeensis that fall into the Rickettsiacae family. Paddock et
al. suggest that, due to the rapid and severe progression of the
infection in their patient, the infection should be added to the
list of potentially life-threatening opportunistic infections in
people with HIV.
The AIDS Daily Summary will not publish on Thursday, November 11,
1993, in observance of Veterans Day. Publication will resume on
Friday, November 12, 1993.
------- End of Forwarded Message